Seasonal Notes to Self

I love a good lemon curd tart to welcome spring. Not so much a fan of Dorie's lemon creme tart. The creme, supposed to be lighter, just seems eggier to me.

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On nice days wear comfy shoes. Because I'll end up walking home. And 4 miles in ballet flats just leads to a big ol' blister.

Related, it takes time to get my feet used to sandals.

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The Lemon Asparagus Pasta recipe is in Simply in Season. Buy asparagus when you go to the store and see it. Come home and make this.

8 ounces angel hair pasta
2.5 cups asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 4 minute. Toss in the asparagus and cook for another 2. Then drain.

1 Tablespoon butter
2 green onions chopped
Zest from one lemon
3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the green onions and zest and saute for one minute. Then add the lemon juice and cook until the liquid is almost (or at least halfway) evaporated

.75 cup milk
2 eggs

Beat together. Add to onion mixture along with pasta and asparagus. Cook over low heat for a few minutes until the milk mixture is slightly thickened.

Mix in:
1 teaspoon dried dill
dash of salt
3 sprinkles of nutmeg

Serve.

Spa Hour

I've heard about Earth Hour for years from my friend MM. I usually forget to turn off the lights and other electrical devices at the appointed 8:30 pm hour, but this year I finally marked it.

Granted a spa hour doesn't sound very earth friendly, more self centered than raising energy awareness. Fair enough. But after the week of cleaning, packing, purging, and driving I think it was a good decision.

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To reference:

First, light bunches of candles. (I went with 14. Bonus points for using candles brought back from the purge. Because I actually use candles now.)

Do the normal night routine: teeth, bathe. I live in an apartment and don't control the water heater. I don't feel bad for taking a hot shower.

Remember there's an egg white in the fridge leftover from the scones baked this morning. And egg whites make face masks. Facial genius!

Mentally pick out nail polish for new pedicure. (That light purple that matches my Easter Sunday Dress.)

While flossing teeth discover pumice stone. Decide to use it again.

Realize feet haven't seen a pumice stone in a long time.

Find book that gives recipe for facial mask. 1 egg white whipped to soft white foamy peaks with 1 tsp honey folded in. Essential oil drops optional.

Gather egg white and honey. Look for essential oil. Decide not going to find them in the dark.

See there are no clean forks. Wash fork to whip egg.

Begin beating egg.

Continue beating egg.

Appreciate the handwhipped concoctions in days before electricity.

Still beating that egg.

Decide egg is foamy, if not peaky. Pour in a bit of honey.

Realize face is now dry and needs to be dampened again pre-mask. Find washcloth for facial.

Apply mask. Sit back. Realize you don't want to lie down. Flip through facial book. Decide against pedicure because don't want to smell the nail polish.

Remove mask. Decide hour is approximately over. Clean up.

Blow out candles.

Purging Thoughts Day 4

I last bought tennis shoes in 2004. No wonder it's getting time for a new pair.

My cat's cradle thread!

Tareka's e-mail address! Along with Courtney and Benard's. And none of them work. *sigh* I'm on at least my second e-mail since they were written down.

For the record, I do not need any more heart shaped jewelry boxes. Actually, I don't need any more jewelry boxes at all.

Purging Thoughts Day 3

"What do you want? What is your deepest desire in life? Deep down in the bosom (sp?) of your heart you have to want something. You learn about it in the most secret of your dreams. What is it? If you know what you want you can do anything, but if you don't know, well then you will never achieve anything worthwhile."

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Confident little life-advice giver wasn't I? Geee.

Other findings:

Part of my collection of middle school notes! YAY! Not where I expected them.

My rejection (well, wait-listed) letter. Still breaks my heart reading it. But you know, sometimes it's healthy to remember that feeling, so it's being saved.




(Sorry for the reversed picture. I'm too lazy to flip it back, didn't realize until it was uploaded, and well, my bed's covered and it's 11:20 pm.)

A collection of 50th anniversary edition of the Saturday Review World. They remember 1924-1974 and make predictions for the year 2024. This close, I can't get rid of them. This busy, I can't read them now. Coming back to my apartment.

Signatures and address exchanges for, like, every camp I ever attended. Someday I will do an inventory of these. Post on Facebook or something. I'm as curious about them as I am anyone I might do reunions with.

Speaking of reunions, went to worship with a guy I hadn't seen in 7 years. We ate lunch together in high school. (My mom was quick to tell grandmother that there "wasn't anything romantic going on.") He's part of a community my mom works with. She remembered him and made the connection. Was cool. Strange. But cool.

And relating to graduations....


Almost saved this dress-up item. But after working on the rez, decided against it. (Actually was perhaps more in favor of it because I'd lived on the rez. Real reason to get rid was the staples holding it together poke my head, not a good sign for kid-friendly play.)

That's enough for tonight. I need to get my bed cleared and me into it.

Found Poetry

Not found poetry. But poetry I found in a box labeled desk drawers.

In dreams I hear the music
Of health
Of life
Of happiness and joy
But when I wake I hear the groans
Of sickness
Of death
Of sadness and pain
How do I balance the two worlds?
I work my best
To bring the dreams to the waking world.

Purging Thoughts Day 2

No, really, what's the point of trophies?

Trash!

Flipped through yearbooks. Figured out when I went to school with my friend's fiance. Still no memory of him. But he was in 6th grade when I was in 8th grade, so I don't feel bad about that.

Blurry camp polaroids.
Who are any of these people?

Trash!


And my barrette collection. On the hanging display!
See that one? Big poofy. Blue and white and purple and fake pearls and oh my gosh. It doesn't even hold up to it's own weight.

I don't remember if I ever wore it.

Pretty sure I wore the others those. Think the pink and yellow bow was a gift from Tareka Sartor. Or Frannie. Someone in elementary school.

(Betcha hadn't figured out that last part. Thought they were big girl fashions, didn't you? Those come next.)

Scrunchies! (They're on the rainstick that I made in 5th grade. Originally it was some doll, but eventually became my scrunchie tower.)
And a claw! And those plastic, spikey, stretchy headbands.

After a day of wearing these, I can attest that 90's hair fashion is more comfortable than I remembered.

Maybe not trash?

There have been a few "That's where that went" moments.

Found this necklace a few days too late.

And found this Psalm 23, Paraphrased (by Jacquie Clingan)

The Lord is my friend!
What more could I want?
He sits with me in the quiet times of my days.
He explores with me the meanings of life.
He calls me forth as a whole person.
Even though I walk along paths of pain, prejudice, hatred, depression,
My fears are quieted
Because He is with me.
His words and His thoughts,
They challenge me.
He causes me to be sensitive to the needs of others,
Then lifts up opportunities for serving.
His confidence stretches me.
Surely love shall be mine to share throughout my life,
And I shall be sustained by His concern forever.

Purging Thoughts Day 1

My parents are moving. This is their first move where I have my own place. Which means it's time for me to clean out of their house. Some of my (inane, insane) thoughts from the first (half) day of clean, purge, and pack.

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How do stockings fit around my thighs but aren't large enough to cover my butt?

My ballet slippers are tiny. Have my feet grown that much?

My pointe shoes were never fully broken in. They don't really fit, but since I only put them on occasionally to be impressed with balancing on my tip toes for 30 seconds, can I keep them?

No way have these stockings fit me in the current century. Why do I still have them?

Some of this fabric is crazy tacky. What was I thinking?

New rule: If the fabric scrap is too small to wrap a present in, throw it out.

Also, I might be wrapping presents in fabric for a while....